The Golden State Warriors said that assistant coach Dejan Milojević, who was a former standout player in his home Serbia and a mentor to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, passed away in Utah on Wednesday due to a heart attack. Milojević, 46, was a member of the team that assisted the Warriors in winning the NBA title in 2022.
After suffering a medical emergency at a private team meal, Milojević was hospitalized in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night and passed away there. The NBA postponed the Warriors’ planned Wednesday night matchup against the Utah Jazz.
Coach Steve Kerr said, “We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” in a team statement. “This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.”
The basketball world immediately expressed deep sorrow at Milojević’s passing, and minutes of silence were observed on Wednesday before to NBA games. Erik Spoelstra, the coach of the Miami Heat, described the news as “horrific.” Like Milojević, Atlanta player Bogdan Bogdanovic is a Serbian. He graciously rejected comment on Wednesday before to the Hawks game, stating, “I apologize. I am unable to discuss it at this time. “I’m so sorry,” he said, patting his chest. Gregg Popovich, the coach of San Antonio, was gushing over Milojević’s coaching abilities.
Facebook said, “You changed my life in such a short time,” by youngster Brandin Podziemski of the Warriors. “The most crucial advice you ever gave me was to just smile! Your laughter and love will always be missed. Look down from heaven onto us.”
Milojević was a three-year member of the Warriors. Before Jokic, the current Denver Nuggets star, moved to the United States, he had worked as a coach in Serbia and Montenegro. He had also coached the Serbian national team as an assistant coach with current Atlanta assistant Igor Koskoskov.
“The NBA mourns the sudden passing of Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a beloved colleague and dear friend to so many in the global basketball community,” Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, stated. “In addition to winning the 2022 NBA championship in his first season with the Warriors and mentoring some of the best players in the world, Dejan had a decorated international playing career and was a distinguished head coach in his native Serbia.”
During his stint as a coach in Europe, Milojević worked closely with a number of players, including Jokic, Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers, Goga Bitadze of Orlando, and Boban Marjanovic of Houston. He mostly worked with big guys like Kevon Looney with the Warriors, and Looney praised Milojević’s attention to detail.
The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic said on social media, “Rest in peace, Deki.”
Kerr said that Kent Lacob, the son of Golden State owner Joe Lacob, was the one who first introduced him to Milojević. Additionally, Kerr made the decision to go after Milojević in 2021 after the Warriors had significant personnel adjustments. After some persuasion, Milojević accepted the offer. Kerr was ecstatic.
“I knew right away what Kent was talking about,” Kerr said in a Warriors film from the previous year. “It was a pleasure being around him. In addition, he had an incredible history in basketball as a coach and player. Bringing Deki in was a really logical decision.”
When the 6-foot-7, 240-pound power forward was at the height of his playing career, in 2004, 2005, and 2006, Milojević earned three straight MVP honors in the Adriatic League. In 2015, Jokic won the league MVP award, one year after current Golden State forward Dario Saric did.
Milojević is the player with the most Adriatic MVPs, and his childhood game anecdotes are legendary. Among them are: How, as a 14-year-old in 1991, he scored 141 points, 83 of which came in the second half after his coach told him to take all the shots.
“In an interview with Bosnian radio-television station RTV in 2018, I teach all of my players that basketball is not a job, but that they should enjoy the game,” Milojević said. “Because you have to really love something if you want to pursue it for the next 20 years. It’s difficult to put up with all of these attempts if you find anything objectionable. The only people who can manage everything with remarkable accomplishment are those who really enjoy the game.”
Milojević worked as an assistant coach in the summer league for Atlanta, San Antonio, and Houston before to joining the Warriors.
Darko Rajaković, the coach for Toronto, claimed to have known Milojević since high school.
“He was a role model as a player, as a man, as a husband, as a coach — somebody that I really admired and have a lot of respect for,” Rajaković said. “Unfortunately, last night, his heart stopped working and he left his wife and two kids behind and a big, big legacy.”
Mike Brown, the head coach of Sacramento and a former assistant for the Golden State, continued, saying, “Not only was he an extremely talented coach, he was an even better person.”
It took some time for the Warriors vs. Jazz game to be rescheduled. The Jazz said that the rescheduled game on Wednesday night will accept tickets for that night. The next game Golden State has planned is a home game versus Dallas on Friday.
The children of Milojević and his wife, Masa and Nikola, survive him.
Kerr said, “Their loss is incomprehensible.”
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